Presents
Robert Radecke
Three Fantasy Pieces for Cello or Violin and Piano, Op.7
Robert Radecke's Three Fantasy Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op.7 date from 1853. Robert Schumann is generally credited with creating the genre of the fantasy or character piece, which then became popular with German composers throughout the rest of the 19th century. It is beyond doubt that Radecke's Fantasy Pieces were a kind of tribute to and influenced by Robert Schumann with whom he was friendly. The first piece begins with a lyrical Andante introduction which leads to a virtuosic Piu Allegro middle section and then closes as it began. The second piece, Moderato, is a kind of Mendelssohnian song without words. The last, an exciting dance-like Presto also has a beautiful and lyrical contrasting middle section.
Robert Radecke (1830-1911) was born in the village of Dittmannsdorf bei Waldenburg in the Prussian province of Silesia. He first music lessons were from his father, a church musician. He entered the Leipzig Conservatory not long after it was founded by Mendelssohn and studied violin with Ferdinand David, piano with Ignaz Moscheles and composition with Julius Rietz and Moritz Hauptmann. An all round musician, for his graduation examination, he performed as violinist in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and as pianist in the Schumann Piano Concerto as well as conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in a performance of his own symphony. During his life, he held many prestigious posts, including serving as director of the Berlin Opera Theater and Imperial Prussian Court Music Director of the Royal Orchestra (precursor of the Berlin Philharmonic). He was widely considered one of the finest conductors in Europe and routinely turned down many prestigious offers which came his way including that of conductor and director of the New York Philharmonic. Besides conducting, this multi-faceted musician was one of Berlin's leading pianists, served as a violinist in the famous Ferdinand Laub String Quartet and worked as a teacher at the prestigious Stern Conservatory in Berlin where Bruno Walter and Camillo Schumann were among his many students.
The work was dedicated to his friend the cellist Andreas Grahan but his publisher Kistner after seeing how fine a work it was insisted on a version for violin to increase his sales. Radecke complied and we offer the work in this version as well. Long out of print, we are very pleased to make it available again and recommend it to both cellists and violinists as an excellent recital choice.
| (A) 3 Fantasy Pieces for Cello & Piano-Parts | $19.95 |
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| (B) 3 Fantasy Pieces for Violin & Piano-Parts | $19.95 |
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